26-foot-tall colossus believed to be Ramses II and massive bust of Seti II, over 3,000 years old, found in vacant area between apartment blocks

Egyptians pose for pictures next to the head of a statue at the site of a new discovery by a team of German-Egyptian archeologists in Cairo’s Mattarya district on March 9, 2017. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

CAIRO — Archaeologists in a muddy pit in a Cairo suburb on Thursday uncovered two pharaonic statues dating back more than 3,000 years.

The relics were found in Mattarya district, site of the ancient Pharaonic capital of Heliopolis and today a sprawl of working and middle class districts in northeastern Cairo.

The statues, discovered on wasteland between crumbling apartment blocks, are thought to represent Pharaohs from the 19th dynasty, which ruled from 1314 to 1200 BC.

One statue stands eight meters (26 feet) tall and is carved out of quartzite, a tough stone composed mostly of quartz grains.

Egyptian workers look at a statue, possible of Ramses II, partially submerged in mud, at the site of a new discovery by a team of German-Egyptian archeologists in Cairo’s Mattarya district on March 9, 2017. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

It could not be identified from its engravings but it was found at the entrance to the temple of King Ramses II — also known as Ramses the Great — suggesting it represents him.

The other relic is a limestone bust of 12th century BC ruler King Seti II.

They were discovered by a joint German-Egyptian archaeological mission.

An Egyptian woman walks past the head of a statue at the site of a new discovery by a team of German-Egyptian archeologists in Cairo’s Mattarya district on March 9, 2017. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

“The discovery of the two statues shows the importance of the city of Heliopolis, which was dedicated to the worship of Ra,” the sun god, said Aymen Ashmawy, head of the Egyptian team on the dig.

He said the discovery was “very important” because it indicated the Oun Sun temple was a “magnificent structure.”

Dietrich Raue, head of the German team, said the archaeologists were working hard to lift the statues so they can be transported to another site for restoration.

An Iraqi troop member examines ancient artifacts found in an underground ISIS tunnel in eastern Mosul.

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Iraqis uncover antiquities in ISIS tunnels in eastern Mosul in offensive to retake city

Authorities want to remove the artifacts, but tunnels are dangerous and could collapse

Irbil, Iraq (CNN)ISIS extremists have reveled in destroying ancient shrines and antiquities, posting videos on social media of their vandalism. In an odd twist, however, they’ve inadvertently uncovered a treasure-trove of ancient statues and inscriptions dating back to the days of the Assyrian Empire.

Iraqi government officials have confirmed the discovery of the ancient artifacts in tunnels dug by ISIS fighters in eastern Mosul. Iraqi forces have been battling ISIS to reclaim Mosul — Iraq’s second-largest city — since October.

Faleh al-Shumari, head of the Antiquities Authority in Mosul, told CNN that the Iraqi government found the antiquities by chance in the tunnels dug under the shrine of Nabi Yunis, Arabic for the Prophet Jonah, but they haven’t extracted them yet.

“We knew about these antiquities and artifacts situated under the Shrine of Nabi Yunis in eastern Mosul that date back to the eighth century B.C, the Assyrian period,” Shumari said.

The authority had done excavations there in the 1990s and also in 2004 and 2005, but the site was covered “as a result of lack of resources and as a result of the security situation,” he said.

“The immediate solution is to have these artifacts and antiquities excavated, pulled from underneath the ground and moved to a secure place like the Baghdad Museum or Mosul Museum, when it gets secured in the future — when the security situation permits that.”

However, the tunnels are prone to cave-ins and collapse, making removal of the artifacts dangerous.

ISIS took control of Mosul in June 2014, Its museum’s artifacts and antiquities were completely destroyed and looted by the group in February 2015, but the building remains standing, Shumari says, and was used by the militants’ police force, known as the Hasba.

According to ISIS’ warped interpretation of Islam, all idols must be destroyed. Its destruction of priceless antiquities and a series of ancient sites and religious shrines is highly offensive to many Iraqis, who are deeply proud of the country’s rich history. Iraq is considered one of the cradles of civilization.

Recent gains by the Iraqis in western Mosul have left pockets of ISIS militants isolated, and the city is largely surrounded by Iraqi security forces.

Treasure-trove

The objects were discovered under the shrine of Nabi Yunis, also believed to be the Tomb of the Prophet Jonah, said Layla Salih, head of heritage building in Mosul and a member of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq.

The site also includes the remains of the palace of King Esarhaddon, who ruled what is known as the neo-Assyrian Empire in seventh century B.C. Salih said the remains of the palace were found under the shrine of Nabi Yunis.

“Inside these tunnels we found two sculptures of the Winged Bulls of Nineveh and another two sculptures that had faces of four women, including 5 meters of bas-relief of one side of the tunnel walls with cuneiform inscriptions,” Salih told CNN.

She said the teams that explored the tunnels found fragments of pottery and parts of the winged bulls, known as lammasu.

In the ISIS footage, men shove statues off pedestals and use hammers and drills to destroy what’s left.

An unnamed militant offers the following explanation: “These antiquities and idols behind me were from people in past centuries and were worshipped instead of God.

“When God almighty orders us to destroy these statues, idols and antiquities, we must do it, even if they’re worth billions of dollars,” he says.

ISIS militants haven’t always taken such a principled approach, however.

Two years ago the FBI asked art collectors and dealers to be on the lookout for antiquities that the terrorist group could have put on the market as it plundered and destroyed archaeological sites across Syria and Iraq.

Researchers from France and Israel are getting together to search for this historical artifact. They believe the Ark rests in a Biblical site that has not yet been extensively explored. Kiriath-Jearim in West Jerusalem will be opened for research between August 7th and September 1st. According to the Book of Samuel, the box was stored there for only two decades.

But the ancient site is mentioned many times in the Bible as a place of worship; it is also known as Ba’alah, Ba’ale Judah, and Kiryat Ba’al. The site has not undergone any archaeological excavation; researchers are excited about being the first to explore this vast central site nestled in the Jerusalem hills.

Another place where the sacred Ark is rumored to be is in Ethiopia, where the Orthodox Church claims to have the Ark in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in the city of Aksum.

It is also thought to be in a cave on Mount Nebo in Jordan – the basis for this claim comes from an ancient text which states that the prophet Jeremiah buried it there. Mount Nebo is believed to be the area where Moses saw the Promised Land.

Moses and Joshua are bowing before the Ark, painting by James Tissot, c. 1900

The Ark is thought to have been built a year after the Israelites had left Egypt. The Book of Exodus contains a description of how it was built. It was large and had to be carried on poles. Linked to miracles in the Old Testament, it seems to have vanished from history around 597-586 BC, when the Babylonian Empire conquered the Israelites.

Scientists believe that even if something which resembles the Ark is found, its authenticity can hardly be proved or disproved through a scientific study. They consider it a Biblical artifact which rests on the border of myth and reality, Mail Online reported. The search for the Ark of the Covenant inspired the plot of The Raiders of the Lost Ark movie in 1981, one of the popular Indiana Jones series.

At its peak, around 200 AD, Teotihuacan counted a population of well over 125,000, boasted hundreds of temples and palaces, and three massive pyramids named after the Sun, the Moon, and the Feathered Serpent (itself a symbol of the planet Venus). The ruins of what is often called the Rome of America, Teotihuacan, lie a mere 50 km (31 miles) North-East of modern day Mexico City.

City of the Gods

By the time the Aztecs came onto the scene, at the beginning of the 14th century AD, the ancient metropolis already lay in ruins, its great pyramids covered in shrubs and vegetation. No doubt the Aztecs were left with the same questions that every modern visitor to the site is confronted with today. Who were the mysterious builders of Teotihuacan, and where had they come from? To the Aztecs, the answer to this question could be no other than the Gods themselves.

Their legends told of the arrival of wise men from a land beyond the Sea: “They say they came to this land to rule over it”; wrote Spanish chronicler Bernardino of Sahagún:

“They came from the sea on ships, a multitude of them, and landed on the shore of the sea, to the North…from there they went on, seeking the white mountains, the smoky mountains…led by their priests and by the voice of their gods. Finally they came to the place that they called Tamoanchan…and there they settled for some time…but it was not for long, for their wise masters left, took again to their boats…bringing back with them all their holy books and their sacred images.”

The identity of Teotihuacan with the Tamoanchan, Tollan, or Tlapallan of the Aztec and Nahua legends, has been a source of constant debate among historians: The great city of Teotihuacan literally emerged from the mists of the Mesoamerican pre-classic period as a perfectly planned city, with a fully developed architecture, and an advanced astronomy, mathematics, and calendar.

The ruins that survive today make it abundantly clear, however, that in the long sequence of construction of the site, the earliest layers almost invariably show the greatest complexity and sophistication.

Megalithic Builders and the Avenue of the Dead

The modern visitor to Teotihuacan will hardly find any evidence of the original “City of the Gods”, as it would have stood, according to Aztec myths, at the beginning of the present World Age, in 3,114 BC. (This is the date of the beginning of the Fifth Sun according to the Codex Vaticanus 3739, Codex Ríos). It lies buried under layers upon layers of subsequent occupations, and rather imaginative modern reconstructions (a large part of which resulting from the early 1900s restorations of Leopoldo Batres). Yet, one needs to walk not much further than the tourist-beaten path along the 4-km (2.5-mile) -long Avenue of the Dead to find evidence of a much more mysterious and still largely unexplored past: Almost all the construction that is visible in Teotihuacan today consists of loose lava stones, roughly cemented together, mixed with adobe and a filling of rubble.

Megalithic stone blocks scattered in the vicinity of the pyramid of the Feathered Serpents at Teotihuacan. (Photos by Author Marco M. Vigato)

Megalithic stone blocks scattered in the vicinity of the pyramid of the Feathered Serpents at Teotihuacan. (Photos by Author Marco M. Vigato)

It is true that some of the façades were originally stuccoed and painted, but these have mostly faded or disappeared, so that the impression of monumentality of even the largest pyramids immediately disappears once one examines these structures from a closer distance.

Megalithic stone head from the earlier layer of construction. (Photo by Author Marco M. Vigato)

It is therefore even more surprising to find evidence among the earliest layers of construction of an entirely different style of architecture employing enormous, finely cut and polished blocks of stone, which could very well be called megalithic.

A portion of these earlier megalithic structures can be appreciated on the western face of the pyramid of the Feathered Serpents. Here, a monumental façade of finely sculptured stone was uncovered under a later period “adosada” platform, which was added to the pyramid at some point during the 4th century AD. Even more puzzling are a number of enormous blocks of stone that lie scattered in a small esplanade towards the back of the pyramid. These stones appear to be of an entirely different kind, even relative to the ones that cover the western façade of the pyramid.

Monumental sculptured façade on the Western side of the pyramid of the Feathered Serpents. (Photo by Author Marco M. Vigato)

Not only are we here confronted with some truly gigantic monoliths, but also the type of stone and workmanship appear to be entirely different and far superior to any of the other exposed sections of the pyramid’s stone casing.

South-West corner of the pyramid of the Feathered Serpents, where the older construction phase and several megalithic stone blocks are visible under the later “adosada” platform. (Photo by Author Marco M. Vigato)

Silence From Academia

For their location in an area which is normally off-limits to visitors, these monoliths have been, so far, seldom published or considered in guides or publications on Teotihuacan. There seems, moreover, to be a general academic silence concerning their age, stylistic differences, and original collocation.

Curious Monoliths

The megalithic stone blocks, many of which are covered in sculptures, appear to have been thrown in no particular order as filling material for the construction of the main pyramid body, which is believed to date to the 2nd century AD. Among these are some colossal serpent heads, over two meters (6.5 feet) in length and weighting an estimate of 4 tons, and also some curious U-shaped monoliths, with a weight probably in excess of 10 tons. Their general workmanship is extremely accurate, with complex concave and convex surfaces and perfectly planar sides.

The rock in which the larger megalithic stone blocks were carved is a kind of highly compact gray andesite. A petrographic study of similar colossal andesite sculptures from Teotihuacan by Robert Heizer and Howell Williams pointed to the most likely source of the andesite employed at Teotihuacan as Mount Tlaloc, in the vicinity of the Pueblo of San Miguel Coatlinchan— a distance of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from the ceremonial site. This is certainly the source of the stone used for the largest monolith found in situ at Teotihuacan, the colossal Diosa del Agua or “Water Goddess”, which is estimated to weigh over 25 tons.

Based on stylistic analogies with the other Teotihuacan monoliths, Heizer and Williams also concluded that an immense, unfinished sculpture found in the quarry near Coatlinchan was meant to be transported to Teotihuacan. The statue, known as the monolith of Coatlinchan, is one of the largest in the Americas, with an estimated weight of over 200 tons. It is 7.1 meters (23.2 feet) long, 3.8 meters (12.4 feet) wide and four meters (13.1 feet) thick. Its transportation to Mexico City (where it now stands in front of the National Museum of Anthropology) in 1964 required a specially designed 112-wheeled tractor. If finished, the sculpture would have been carried on rafts across the lake of Texcoco, and then on rollers or sledges until its final destination.

The great monolith of Coatlinchan still in the quarries, before its removal and transportation to Mexico City. (Source: Robert F. Heizer, Howell Williams, Stones used for colossal sculpture at or near Teotihuacan, Contributions of the University of California Archaeological Research Facility, 1965)

The unfinished state of the monolith of Coatlinchan and of the countless megalithic stone blocks that lie scattered around the site of Teotihuacan are suggestive of the sudden arrival and departure of a very technically advanced elite: Over the following centuries, construction resumed and continued at Teotihuacan, although in much cruder form, recycling many of the megalithic stones and structures left behind by the original builders.

Megalithic stone blocks scattered in the vicinity of the pyramid of the Feathered Serpents at Teotihuacan. (Photos by Author Marco M. Vigato)

A Hidden Underworld?

Megaliths and colossal sculptures may be not the only remains left behind by the original builders of Teotihuacan, for a vast network of tunnels extends under much of the ancient site. The reality of this vast and still largely unexplored network has only recently come to light. In a following article, we will explore a portion of these tunnels in search of traces left behind by its still mysterious builders.

In the gorgeously rustic country hills of Northern Ireland, about an hour north of Derry, is the tiny hamlet of Laraghirril. In the distant southwestern fields of this town sits an ancient cairn with beautifully placed megalithic stones. The cairn is perhaps 4000 to 6000 years old, with crafted slabs protruding in dramatic symmetry out of the ground. If you want to learn more about this ancient cairn at Laraghirril, interestingly enough, it will not be from this article. Amazingly, the ancient Celtic altar in the image above is found in Heath, Massachusetts, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeastern United States, otherwise known as New England.

Mysterious Megalithic Works in New England

New England is a small set of states about the size of Ireland, in terms of square kilometers. It stretches from Connecticut, northward along the Atlantic coast of Rhode Island, into the mountainous forests of upstate New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. The old-growth forests and rocky mountain ridges of this area contain the same megalithic wonders that Celtic countries endear as part of their ancient mystical past. The images below are of Celtic megalithic works all within the region of New England. This includes: eloquent stone-chambers, ancient stone-linings of massive proportion at high elevations, cairns in practically every forest, altars on high rocky elevations, and beautiful standing-stones of a unique style specific to New England.

A stone chamber found in New England

High elevation stone lining in New England

This standing stone (image/above) is located several miles into Tully Lake Forest Reserve, Massachusetts, which is only about 15 miles from the Heath Altar, which I will soon describe. It has never been documented before now. Standing at 6 feet in height, and roughly 2 tons in weight, it is clearly an intended fixture, with incremental indents on its side culminating at an apex. This stone has stood elegantly as an amazing example of the megaliths in Massachusetts for, most likely, thousands of years, and may have been placed in this spot before the forest surrounded it. There is so much more to understand about stones like this. The questions emerge: what culture during the antiquity period of New England had the technical ability to cut and craft megalithic stones as if they were wooden blocks? How could they place them on mountaintops, or in deep forests so easily? And who did this? In Ireland, these incremental markings can be found on white-granite stones in the heights of places like the Pass at Mount Bearnagh in the Mourne Range (image/below). There are literally thousands of other crafted megalithic stones in the forests and mountain ranges of Celtic and New England ranges.

If this type of standing stone at Tully Lake Forest is not compelling enough for those who embrace a more “classic” stylization of “the standing stone”, take a look at this monument just twenty-five miles east of Tully Lake Forest. Looming at the top of a rocky hill in the Lynn Woods Reserve is a 10-foot high, 20-ton standing-stone. This megalith could easily be mistaken for a standing-stone at the top of any Irish, Welsh, English or Scottish valley. This stone, however, is in Massachusetts.

20-ton standing stone in Lynn Woods Reserve

Advanced Ancient Culture in New England – Could it be the Celts?

And this is just the beginning. In every forest in New England there are megaliths waiting to be deciphered and appreciated. It seems clear now that a megalithic culture, nearly identical to the Celtic style, once existed in New England. One of the very finest examples of this, in all of New England, is located in the country-town of Heath, Massachusetts, known simply as The Heath Altar Stones.

The Heath Altar sits on a gorgeous rocky plateau surrounded by pristine old-growth forest. This rocky elevation in north-central Massachusetts is only seven miles from the boarder of Vermont, where Green Mountain National Forest rolls dramatically into the northwest. Strategically, this vista is an intelligent place for an altar, with an elevated vantage harnessing the sun’s rays from dawn to dusk. Simultaneously, this altar is not far from a rolling stream in the small valley below, just over a mile to the east.

This water runs in a narrow channel cutting through the hills into several streams that merge and eventually rush as waterfalls through the town of Savoy, south of Heath. At certain points of the stream there is ancient stonework directing the flow of the water. These beautiful stones are an indicator of an extremely intelligent culture capable of harnessing and directing resources to certain focal points in the landscape. The stonework is perfectly leveled with corbel placement.

Rock wall in New England

Identifying this particular style is a challenge to those unfamiliar with Celtic fixtures. The masons of the colonial period generally utilized brick or cut-cobble stone with mixed cement. Native Americans were seasonally nomadic in their lifestyle, and generally did not work with megalithic stones in the northeastern part of the continent. Additionally, native tribes simply did not take credit for the existing stonework. Local stories from remaining Native American peoples in places like Upton, Massachusetts, say that the megalithic stones were there before the ancestral tribes arrived. This would coincide with the testimony of Peruvian and Mexican native peoples of South America, who say that the megaliths of their region were not made by their ancestors, but by “the gods”, and again, were there before their ancestors arrived.

Quartz Used to Harness Energy?

Returning to the Altar at Heath, there are several thought-provoking stone features before reaching the hilltop. Massive quartz stones have been placed all around the area.

A large quartz block sits atop a stone lining

Beautiful small ridges made entirely of quartz are fixed into the landscape. Quartz blocks have clearly been quarried and inserted above the granite stone linings surrounding the area. These white transluscent blocks stand in stark contrast against the rusty colored fauna of the field and grey granite stone-linings surrounding the hill. The question arises: why would the builders of this altar choose to extract and set quartz blocks around the area?

The answer is in the properties of the stone. Quartz has the ability to harness and store energy. In the present era we utilize quartz in our computers to transfer and store digital energy within the tiny landscapes of switchboards. Placing quartz all around the hill creates a type of “energy zone”. It is clear that this culture was well aware of the unique properties of the natural elements in the landscape, and made a serious effort to utilize them. This culture recognized the sun’s value as the ultimate energy source, as well as elements in the landscapes that have the reciprocal ability to harness that energy. Furthermore, streams carry subtle electrical currents through the friction of the waters continual motion against the stones. There are stones that indicate that this ancient culture was aware of the subtle energies produced by the water as well.

Long stone-linings that look to our modern eyes like “walls” run directly from the river up to the Altar at Heath. The granite stones might actually be a type of “cable system” connecting the subtle electrical energy of the stream to the quartz stones on the hill. The entire periphery of the hill is circled with these stone-linings. They branch off in dozens of varying directions. On a sunny day, this place would be absolutely charged with subtle energies.

Ancient Alignments

Continuing towards the pinnacle of the hill where the altar sits, are smaller standing-stones. From the crafting and positioning of these stones, it is clear that they have a directional purpose rather than the utility function of the quartz. Perhaps they are marking the cardinal directions, or Solar and Lunar patterns in the sky. They certainly look to be pointing at something.

A standing stone near the main altar

The stone in the image above stands at about 3 feet, with specifically cut dimensions that point cardinal-south. This small standing stone is about 50 yards from the main Altar. The angles are of a particular type in New England that exists at many other sites in the mountains. The image below is of a larger, but dimensionally identical, standing-stone which sits near Squaw Peak of Monument Mountain Reserve in Massachusetts, about 60 miles southwest of Heath. This larger stone stands at about 6 feet, and points to the Sun at exactly mid-day, as seen in the image below.

Standing stone near Squaw Peak of Monument Mountain Reserve

The similarity between these two standing-stones, in terms of specific geometry, is remarkable, not to mention difficult. Two parallel sides lead to a 45-degree pinnacle which points, like an arrowhead, to the sky. Remember also, this is cut out of solid granite, and isn’t exactly a simple process. This is an iconic statement that requires serious skill and understanding, cutting through granite to form exacted parallel lines and points. More questions emerge, similar to those asked in Celtic places: how could this be done with granite slabs some 4000 to 6000 years ago, and at an elevation of about 2000 feet? With what tools did this culture cut and move these massive stones? Where are those tools? And why is there so little acknowledgement of this megalithic culture in New England, as opposed to Ireland where it is revered?

Continuing on to the western extreme of the hill at Heath there is an entirely quartz standing stone that looks to be a marker of some kind, or perhaps a warning for those passing by. This stone is similar in scale to the other peripheral standing stones around the Altar, only about 3 feet in height, but brilliant in contrast to the fauna of the area.

Quartz standing stone at Heath

At the northern face of the hill is a deeply lodged granite stone facing cardinal- north, where the forests of Vermont roll into Canada. This stone is also protruding about 3 feet out of the ground. As you can see, each stone points to a stellar scene beyond.

Standing stone at Heath

A Celtic Altar in Massachusetts?

After acknowledging the amount of stonework around the Altar, the feeling that this is hallowed ground is inevitable. This is an anthropologically sacred place where the stones have been placed in specific orientations. The meaning of the chosen stones, as well as their positions, is yet to be deciphered. It is obvious that this place is not the whimsical machinations of some bored colonial farmer, which would be totally out of context with colonial work ethic. Colonials did not waste the planting or harvesting seasons, not to mention the strength of their cattle or horses, moving megalithic size rocks around for pleasure. With that in mind, everything about this area says: “Celtic altar”. It is with this understanding that you finally approach the main Altar at Heath.

On the highest ground of the hill sits an 8-by-5-foot square granite slab, guarded at each corner by a massive standing stone.

The Altar at Heath

These stones that stand in the corners of the central slab look to weigh at least 2 tons each, if not more. They are notched into the ground like fitted posts, each standing at relatively the same height at 6 feet. There is definitely a type of intended symmetry to this scene. A smaller standing stone centers the entire scene like an emblem, creating a pinnacle just above the main square slab (image/below).

A short distance away, to the west, is another standing stone which is roughly the same size as the corner stones. It looks to be an entry point to the Altar, the final marker and warning to anyone approaching the central scene from just beyond.

The Altar at Heath

Many things could have taken place on this altar. It is the focal point of all the various stones surrounding the hill. Perhaps sleeping here was beneficial in certain ways, or burning a fire for cooking and general warmth with a full vantage on the hill. This would be a perfect place to center an existence, with all the harnessed subtle energies culminating here. The view from the central granite table is incredible. (Image below)

Celtic and northeast-American landscapes have an incredible similarity in scale and style. It makes complete sense that a Celtic altar was built on the hill at Heath, when the hill itself is so similar to native Celtic hills in places like Kinnitty, Ireland. The rolling hills beyond are of the same height and scale. It becomes impossible to ignore the Celtic aspects of New England, and how attractive a place like Heath must have been to a megalithic culture. The megaliths, the landscapes, the enduring similarity and beauty of both Irish and New England ancient sites continues to compel us towards understanding what this similarity means. Is it one Celtic megalithic culture producing stone-works in several different places? It certainly looks that way.

The Heath Altar Stones remains one of the most beautiful and blatant anthropological connections to the Celtic world that New England has to offer, but it is only a fraction of the overall picture emerging. There is an incredible megalithic culture within the forests and mountains of northeastern America just waiting to be understood, and many New Englanders are excited to continue this research!

New technology enabling scientists to manipulate genes, mixing human genes and organs with those of animals, is a disturbing trend in science which one rabbi believes mirrors the sin that led to global destruction in the generation of Noah.

Last week, the National Academies of Sciences and Medicine released a new report including recommendations to ensure genetic research done in the United States is performed responsibly and ethically. In essence, this report gave the greenlight to gene research, even though funding for such research is currently banned by the government because of the ethical dilemmas it raises.

The new technology bears with it practical risk. Genetic research can take two forms: gene editing to cure or preventdisease, and gene editing to enhance humans. Genetics is uncharted territory and scientists could accidentally introduce a dangerous mutation that will harm future generations, or, in an attempt to create vaccines, inadvertently create a superior form of the disease which could threaten mankind.

Rabbi Moshe Avraham Halperin of the Machon Mada’i Technology Al Pi Halacha (the Institute for Science and Technology According to Jewish Law) stated in response to the report that there are clear Torah guidelines for this new technology. Rabbi Halperin referred to the Biblical law concerning mixing of species.

“It is forbidden to create a creature that is a mixture of species, but as long as they are not producing a new creature that has a different form, it is permitted,” Rabbi Halperin told Breaking Israel News.

However, he noted, “Improving species, even the human race, is not forbidden by Jewish law. Changing the color of the skin or hair is permitted, even more so when it concerns removing genetic maladies. But the process certainly needs oversight.”

Rabbi Yosef Berger, rabbi of the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion, stressed that the issue of mixing species had serious Biblical ramifications, noting that the verse forbidding mixing breeds of animals directly preceded a section of the Torah dealing with sexual impropriety.

And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. Leviticus 19:20

The rabbi explained the connection between the two distinct commandments.

“This is also expressed in the sin of the generation of Noah, which, according to Jewish tradition was the forbidden mixing of animals and man,” Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News, quoting Genesis.

And Hashem said: ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them.’ Genesis 6:7

“Noah’s generation sinned sexually, but it was expressed in the mixing of species,” he explained.

“This sexual sin could prevent the coming Messianic era as the connection between man and woman is a holy part of the process of bringing geula (redemption). This is the basis of the requirement to be fruitful and multiply: to bring Moshiach (Messiah).”

Rabbi Berger stressed that this mitzvah (Torah commandment) requires a proper level of purity. Mixing of species is an improper manifestation of procreation that led to the destruction of the generation of Noah.

Thus, even when saving lives, one of the most important mitzvot, one must be mindful of dangers and limits, Rabbi Berger cautioned.

The limits of science and ethics are indeed being expanded and tested in remarkable ways. In 2015, several groundbreaking experiments took place in genetic engineering. A herd of cloned cattle, genetically engineered with human DNA, were used to incubate antibodies against the Ebola virus. In the same year, scientists at Duke University announced that they had successfully boosted brain size in mice by using human DNA as a catalyst.

Also at Duke, kidneys from aborted human fetuses were transplanted into rats in order to determine if human organs could be grown in animals, solving the problem of organ donations.

In one particularly disturbing case, geneticists in China modified the DNA of human embryos, concentrating on the gene responsible for β-thalassaemia, a potentially fatal blood disorder. However, in their final report, the researchers said they found a surprising number of unintended mutations.

These experiments illustrate just some of the astounding areas researchers are exploring. The science involved is staggering, but the ethical considerations are even more perplexing, and less likely to receive clear-cut answers.

Certain areas of research in the United States are stalled until the issue of abortions is resolved, establishing once and for all the legal status of fetuses and embryos. Manipulating genes in utero to eradicate genetic disease can alleviate great suffering, but brushes up against eugenics, the intentional improving of the human race. Negative eugenics were first espoused by the Nazis and other racist ideologies as a method of creating a master race.

The research takes on dark spiritual overtones in the context of the growing transhumanism movement, which believes that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations by means of science and technology.

“Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver iron tin and lead they traded for thy wares.” Ezekiel 27:12 (The Israel Bible™)

Illustrative: underwater ruins. (Shutterstock)

The lost city of Atlantis has been found, and it’s straight out of the Bible – at least according to a stunning new National Geographic documentary which follows a high-tech, wide-ranging search for the mythical city with incredible results.

The documentary, Atlantis Rising, released last Sunday, features Oscar-winning Titanic director James Cameron and Emmy-winning journalist Simcha Jacobovici following ancient clues through Greece, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic on a search for Atlantis, a mythical city that allegedly sunk into the sea thousands of years ago. Along the way, they discover mind-blowing Biblical connections to Atlantis, including a 3,000 year old carving that ties the mythical city to the Jewish Temple.

“So often, when you tell people you are looking for Atlantis, they think it is a crazy project because they think it is a thing that was made up by Disney or Hollywood, a city full of mermaids,” Jacobovici told Breaking Israel News in an exclusive interview. Even he was astonished at what they found.

Jacobovici, who describes his recent projects as “investigative archaeology”, admitted that sources are scarce. The only ancient source for Atlantis was the Greek philosopher Plato in the 4th century BCE. In his dialogues, Plato wrote about a traveller, Solon, who learned about a highly advanced, wealthy civilization, described in depth. It was a port city located “past the ‘Pillars of Hercules’”, which Jacobovici explained is known today as the Straits of Gibraltar.

In Plato’s account, Solon describes the destruction of Atlantis by a natural disaster which covered the coastal city with mud and water. According to the story, the city sank into the ground and disappeared. Jacobovici equated this to a tsunami.

“Many people may think this is a fictitious account, but Plato went into a lot of detail,” Jacobovici argued. “More problematic is that no other historical or archaeological source discusses a city named Atlantis.” He pointed out, however, that the Greeks had a habit of renaming people and places.

The team set out to find a city that fit the description of Atlantis. The search eventually led them to the Iberian Peninsula, where they began to make a connection between Atlantis and an ancient city known as Tartessos – which appears, amazingly, in the Bible.

“There are many artifacts and ancient writings that show that 3,000 years ago there was a great city of Tartessos, very wealthy and with a powerful navy,”Jacobovici described. “Though we don’t know exactly where it was, it was purported to be somewhere in Southern Iberia, Spain or Portugal, precisely the area that Plato gives for Atlantis.”

The research led Jacobovici to believe there is a link between Plato’s fabled city of Atlantis, which he believes is Tartessos, and the oft-mentioned Biblical city of Tarshish, citing an unmistakably Atlantis-like reference in Psalms.

For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, they came onward together..Trembling took hold of them there, pangs, as of a woman in travail…With the east wind Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish. Psalms 48:5-8

The Bible speaks many times about a city called Tarshish. King Solomon fought naval battles with the wealthy city, an ally of Israel.

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute. Psalms 72:10

Tarshish is also mentioned as the city that Jonah chose to flee to rather than go to evil Nineveh.

But Yonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Hashem; and he went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof and went down into it to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Hashem. Jonah 1:3

In Tarshish, “Jonah encountered a fierce storm,” noted Jacobovici. “This is very characteristic of the area around the Straits of Gibraltar.”

The fact that the city of Tarshish is mentioned throughout the Bible seems to contradict a connection with an Atlantis that was destroyed well before Plato’s account. Jacobovici had an explanation.

“I think there were several stages in the destruction of Tarshish,” he said. “One was during the Exodus, and the final one was after King Solomon.”

“He showed me Bronze Age symbols, 3,500 years old, carved into ancient shrines,” Jacobovici told Breaking Israel News. “Montexano believes that after the tsunami destroyed Atlantis, or Tarshish, the refugees made these shrines to commemorate the destruction of their city and to pray to their gods that Atlantis should rise again.”

The symbols carved into the walls had distinct design resembling a bull’s eye standing on a stick with three legs. The ancient stone carvings in the Spanish shrines are strongly reminiscent of Plato’s description of the port of Atlantis: three concentric circular docks with a central rectangular temple to Poseidon, with a canal connecting out to the sea.

Symbol of the Temple Menorah (Photo: Eilat Mazar/City of David Foundation)

“The symbol carved into the walls in Spain was an aerial view of the port Plato described, but with the canal depicted as Poseidon’s three-pronged trident,” Jacobovici explained.

Then Montexano showed him something even more remarkable. “In one of these of these shrines in Spain, the 3,000 year old carving is missing the top half of the bull’s eye. Montexano theorized that this symbolizes the refugees were praying for a restored Atlantis.

“But that symbol, as everyone knows, is the Menorah in the Jewish Temple,” said Jacobovici.

Jacobovici relates Montexano’s theory for the remarkable similarity between the ancient symbol found in Spain and the Jewish Temple.

“Montexan believes that when God told the Jews to make the Menorah, he gave them a symbol they already understood, already recognized from the Atlanteans.”

Throughout history, some of the greatest minds around the world have been fascinated by the Golden ratio. Mathematicians since Euclid in the fourth century have studied this mysterious mathematical occurrence. The Golden ratio pertains to pairs of numbers, the sums of which have the same ratio to the larger of the two numbers as the larger number alone does to the smaller number. For example, take two numbers, a and b; number a is larger. If these numbers display the Golden ratio, then a+b/a = a/b.

A Golden rectangle.

Ok, that’s enough math lesson for today. The reason this ratio has mystified mathematicians, scientists, and artists alike is that it is seemingly found throughout the natural world in the ratios of the lengths of human limbs, the spirals of galaxies, hurricanes, or nautilus shells, in the proportions of the features of the human face, or even the dimensions of DNA molecules. Many philosophers have suspected that this ratio is somehow intrinsic to the physical makeup of the universe and that human perceptions of beauty are tied to this ratio.

The Golden ratio is found throughout the physical universe.

The mystery of the Golden ratio deepens, thanks to a recent discovery by University of Arizona mathematics professor Sherry Towers. While studying an 800-year-old Pueblo Sun Temple in Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park, Towers noticed that the dimensions of the structure seemed eerily familiar to her:

I noticed in my site survey that the same measurements kept popping up over and over again. When I saw that the layout of the site’s key features also involved many geometrical shapes, I decided to take a closer look.

Pueblo civilization is not typically known to have the advanced mathematical knowledge required to build such a structure.

After taking detailed measurements of the site using aerial imagery, Towers found that despite lacking a written language or number system, the Pueblo people constructed a structure which has near-perfect dimensions with an error rate of less than 1%:

The genius of the site’s architects cannot be underestimated. If you asked someone today to try to reconstruct this site and achieve the same precision that they had using just a stick and a piece of cord, it’s highly unlikely they’d be able to do it, especially if they couldn’t write anything down as they were working.

According to her research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Towers believes that the geometry of the temple is somehow related to its use as a ceremonial or mystical site. The temple is known to have been used in solstice celebrations, and Towers speculates it might have been used for celestial observation.

The layout of the temple itself displays the Golden ratio.

How a culture without a known mathematical system created such a precise structure remains a mystery. Could this support the ancient alien hypothesis? It’s possible. Or, more likely, the fact that so much biological anatomy follows the Golden ratio might imply that humans – and all living things – have this ratio hardwired into our being.

Mysterious giant coffins discovered in Egypt in 2012, may prove the existence of the Biblical Nephilim, and the discovery of said tombs further confirms the historical happening of the great Biblical flood.

The 24 boxes, or tombs, were re-discovered in Egypt in 2012, and they were once originally discovered by Ramesses II some 3300 years ago. The mainstream theory regarding the boxes is that Ramesses II built the burial site, but it is more likely that the early Egyptians only discovered this burial site. Just how could the Egyptians move over 24 tombs that weigh roughly 100 tons each?

Mainstream archeology claims that the burial site was for Apis bulls and that Egyptians believed the Apis bulls were incarnations of the deity Ptah. But, were the Bulls supposedly only incarnations? Or were the Bulls actually chimeras?

Some experts are claiming that the Egyptians did not build these boxes, but rather, they were left on Earth by ‘aliens.’ Interestingly enough, that actually makes more sense than the mainstream theory, that the Egyptians built these tombs with copper hand tools.

The head of Egyptian archeology when announcing the discovery to mainstream media, instead of flat out lying, stated that they don’t know how the Egyptians created the tombs. The tombs are unique because of the angles, the skillfulness of the stone cutting is accurate to just a few microns.

Looking through the history, before the Egyptian worship of the Apis bulls is the actual origin of the deity.

The Apis deity, to the early Egyptians, was regarded as a half human, half bull being; and was the god of strength and fertility.

The Timing

The timeline, given that it is more likely that a son of Ramesses II, Khaemweset, only discovered the tombs and ordered them to be buried within the Serapeum of Saqqara; it is probable that the black boxes were for the Nephilim which predate Ramesses II’s 19th dynasty.

The Biblical time period could place the origin of these boxes to pre-flood. Meaning that from creation to roughly 2166 BC, the Nephilim walked the Earth, and the Giants as they were in stature, made men look like grasshoppers in their sight (Numbers 13:33).

The Nephilim, are the spawns of the daughters of men and the sons of God, meaning that the Nephilim were half human and half angelic. The spawns were mutant in appearance, they were giant, and had six fingers and six toes (1 Chronicles 20:6). Given that God cursed the Nephilim, to only walk the earth 500 years (1 Enoch 10:9,10), it is probable that God also cursed them with deformities, as the bloodline thinned, as is apparent with genetic cranial deformation.

Besides the reality that these giants walked the Earth, there is still no explanation for the creature-like appearance as seen in Egyptian and Greek mythology. However, given the mythology of the ancients, it is probable that chimeras walked the earth as well in those days because of the constant DNA manipulation, brought on by the Nephilim and the fallen, into the daughters of men. This of course, is why God wiped the Earth with a flood.

Bull worship was apparent at the Exodus.

As time went on Egyptian worship of the Apis bull continued and can be seen even in the Exodus of Israel. When God was giving the commandments to Moses, Aaron, and the soon-to-be Israel were creating a golden calf (Exodus 32). Being that the people of Israel had just left Egypt, it is evident how strong the influence of Egypt and cow worship was upon the early Israelites.

The time of Ramesses II reign was after the Exodus, which occurred according to the early scholars around 1550-1525 BC; Ramesses II reigned from 1279-1213 BC.

Given that there is literally no explanation as to how the boxes originated, how they were created, there is still a massive mystery surrounding the 2012 rediscovery of the tombs. However, the evidence that this Serapeum was just for Apis bulls is lacking, which opens the possibility that these tombs could have been the tombs of the Nephilim. What say you reader?

by ChurchPOP Editor –
Public Domain, Wikipedia / ChurchPOP
Elisha the prophet had become a menace to the king of Syria.
Syria and Israel were at war, and yet Israel always seemed to anticipate the Syrian army’s movements. At first the Syrian king wanted to know which of his advisors was treacherously passing information to the enemy. But one of his servants explained to him the truth: “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” (2 King 6.12)
With that, Elisha (not to be confused with his predecessor Elijah) became enemy number one. The king discovered where Elisha was staying and immediately sent his army to surround the city.
And that’s when crazy things started to happen.
Early in the morning, Elisha’s servant woke up and went outside, only to be terrified to see the Syrian army encircling them. The servant thought the situation was hopeless, but Elisha remained calm.
“Do not be afraid,” Elisha told the servant, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
What was Elisha talking about? They had no army, and yet the Syrian army was about to attack them. So Elisha quietly prayed, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.”
“The Lord opened the eyes of the young man,” Scripture tells us, “and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 King 6.17) Elisha wasn’t worried because they were being protected by an invisible angelic army!
Soon after, the Syrian army descended on their town, looking for Elisha. And all Elisha had to do was say a simple prayer: “Please strike this people with blindness.” And God immediately struck the Syrian army with blindness, plunging them into utter confusion.
Elisha didn’t take the opportunity to just run away, but did something clever. He took command of the confused Syrian army saying, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to the land of Samaria to the king of Israel. When they arrived, he prayed to God again, asking that he would restore their sight, which God did immediately.
With the Syrian army delivered into his hands, the Israeli king asked Elisha what he should do. Should he just slaughter the Syrian army?
Elisha gave a surprising answer: “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” (2 Kings 6. 22)
Scripture then tells us that the king “prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.” (2 Kings 6.23)
May we have such faith! First, to remember that there is more at play in the world than what we can see. And second, to show such love and mercy to our enemies!

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Revelation 1:3 "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near".
Tommy Settipani,
Watchman for Christ